EXCLUSIVE: The Wachowskis Talk 'Plastic Man' Movie

by Josh Horowitz

When word broke last week on a new collaboration between the notoriously press-shy Wachowski brothers and their “Matrix” star, Keanu Reeves, it certainly got people talking. Yes, at long last it seems the world will be treated to a “Plastic Man” movie. You were expecting a “Speed Racer” sequel?

Unfortunately the Wachowski brothers talk about their work almost as much as Terrence Malick and J.D. Salinger. They haven’t given an interview to anyone it seems since before the first “Matrix” came out. But now we can share with you some exclusive thoughts from the Wachowskis about their long in the making film.

Back in 1996 in an interview I conducted with Larry and Andy for my college radio show (I just wept when I did the math on how long ago that was) and Larry told me a bit about their script for the film that was at the time in development hell.

“It’s probably the closest script to a comedy we’ll write,” Larry said. “We thought it could be kind of cool. The basic idea we came up with was that he would be an environmentalist, almost like an Earth First-er type guy.”

Larry even described a scene from the film the made the brothers laugh at the time. “The funny scene we thought of that was kind of the start of it all was like he goes to the bathroom after he becomes Plastic Man and his urine is no longer bio-degradable so he like wants to kill himself,” he chuckled.